Reese Witherspoon sparks backlash with AI comments

Reese Witherspoon is going all in on AI – and not everyone is happy about it.

The actress, producer and book club founder took to social media to speak out about leaning in to artificial intelligence, rankling some of her followers in the process.

"Well…I've decided it's TIME," she wrote in the caption of an Instagram reel Wednesday, April 15. "The AI revolution has begun, and I need to learn as much as I possibly can about AI and share it with all of you. Also, FYI: the jobs women hold are 3x more likely to be automated by AI, yet women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men on average. We don’t want to be left behind. So…do you want to learn with me?"

Witherspoon, 50, began the video by recounting being at a book club with 10 women. "I said to the 10 of them, 'How many of you guys use AI?' And only three of them used AI. And then I said, 'How many of the three of you feel like you really know what you’re doing or using it the right way?' And there was only one person," she said.

The Reese's Book Club creator continued: "If three out of 10 women are the only ones using AI, that means 70% of that group is not keeping up. The thing I've learned about technology is if you don’t get a little bit of understanding from the very beginning, it just speeds past you. So you have to have little bits of learning just to keep up."

She pointed out that the younger generation is using the technology before issuing a callout to fans: "I think we should learn the basics together and learn some really good tools that are going to make our everyday lives easier and better. Do you want me to share what I'm learning with you?"

USA TODAY has reached out to Witherspoon's rep for comment.

The "Legally Blonde" star's video sees her doubling down on her comments to Glamour magazine encouraging women to get involved in artificial intelligence in Hollywood as it becomes more common. 

Witherspoon also drilled down on AI in her thriller novel with Harlan Coben, "Gone Before Goodbye" (Grand Central Publishing), previously telling USA TODAY that the technology is "here to stay."

In "Gone Before Goodbye," main character Maggie McCabe has a deep connection with a "griefbot," an AI chatbot designed to mimic a lost loved one. How much to rely on that bot – and when to let go – is a moral quandary for the grieving former combat surgeon who had her license revoked after a tragedy. 

"It's all completely feasible," Witherspoon told USA TODAY. "I think this is part of the reason I talk about wanting everyone to get more involved in these technologies, but understanding that they're a tool and … you have to layer human consciousness on top of it, whether that's humor or empathy or guiding values and principles. You need to understand it's here. It's here to stay."

Fans, celebs and authors react to Reese Witherspoon AI video

Witherspoon added in a comment that "women need to be in these conversations."

Witherspoon's "The Morning Show" costar Nicole Beharie commented, "So good. So true.👏🏽"

Actress Kerry Washington agreed with Witherspoon's video, simply commenting, "THIS."

However, multiple authors weighed in on Witherspoon's video, sharing pushback. Poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva also kept it straightforward with her comment: "no 💖."

New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow commented, "personally, I'm extremely proud of 7 out of 10 women 💕." Author Kayla Olson wrote, "This…is…not the take I was expecting, especially from a book lover–turned-author."

Author Claire Hennessy wrote, "I think it's okay not to keep up with men on everything – murder, violence, unethical technology that rots brains and destroys the planet, etc."

Author Tetyana Denford found some middle ground, writing, "I think those two letters are so controversial, that people don't want to talk about it. But it's already speeding ahead of us, and if we don't learn how to use it mindfully, ethically, and without stealing other people's ideas and instead use it for research… Then we will be left behind. We have to make sure that in this whole conversation, the humans are in the middle, guiding the narrative, always."

One user commented that they're "much happier to see the takes in your comments section than I am about your take on it. That’s a hard NO for me And not because I don’t understand it or am scared of it per se," @astount22 wrote. "I am scared of the environmental impacts, the lack of regulations and degrading human creativity and critical thinking."

Contributing: Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY